1. Field of the Invention
The invention contributes to the safe and/or convenient use of operable devices in or under conditions that require the full the attention of a user to be directed elsewhere.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous operable devices known in the current state of the art that provide an operating panel through which a user of the device can produce and/or change existing operating states. Examples of such types of devices are telephones or stereos. These devices are characterized in that at least one button or knob must be operated to produce and/or change operating states, This may be acceptable when the user can direct his or her full attention to the operable device. However, it is often the case that the user cannot or will not direct any of his or her attention to the operable device due to other events or conditions. For example, if a telephone or car stereo is installed in a vehicle, it is not acceptable from a safety standpoint that the driver, while operating the vehicle, nevertheless makes a telephone call or changes a cassette.
The aspect of convenience as well as the safety aspect has been neglected in many operable devices. For example, if in a vehicle that is equipped with a permanently installed telephone, a user must enter the appropriate data when he wants calls to be forwarded. This is often deemed to be tedious and the user therefore refrains from doing this. Refraining from doing this does not have any consequences other than that the user cannot be reached. This is not the case, however, when a user accidentally uses his or her mobile telephone or laptop computer at a location where the use of such devices is prohibited for safety reasons.
It is also not acceptable for all incoming calls to a mobile telephone to be transferred to the user. This may be desirable in most cases, but in some cases may lead to problems when private calls are “transferred” to the user during a business call, for example.
Even if the problems presented in this context only relate to telephones and car stereos, it should be noted for the sake of completeness that these problems are also present in other operable devices. For example, adjusting the temperature of an air conditioning system or setting up a navigation system while driving is just as dangerous as operating a car phone.